Hi again. Here is the sixth podcast for the course. In this podcast I will discuss both of the essays for this coming week, as well as introducing you to our next film, Being John Malkovich. Before you listen, remember that you'll have to photocopy our first essay, Jeffrey Olen's "Personal Identity and Life After Death" which is available for photocopying in the library. Read it along with our second reading, Derek Parfit and Godfrey Vesey's dialogue "Brain Transplants and Personal Identity: A Dialogue". A link to this essay is provided in the course calendar. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me using the link to the right.

See you on Thursday!
Identity Podcast
File Size: 12111 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File
Add Comment
 
 
If you choose to write on the following question, it will be due by the beginning of our next class meeting, Thursday March 1st. Your answer should be at least 350 words in length. Here is the question:

Are the replicants persons? That is, are they beings which are intelligent, self-aware, who experience emotions, who truly understand the meanings of words, and who have what have been called human rights? Use the film and the essays to support your position.
Add Comment
 
AI Podcast 02/16/2012
 
Hi again. Here is the fifth podcast for the course. In this podcast I will discuss both of the essays for this coming week, as well as introducing you to our next film, Blade Runner. Before you listen, be sure to download the first reading, Alan Turing's "Computing Machinery and Intelligence", and read it along with our second reading, John Searle's "Is the Brain's Mind a Computer Program?". Links to both of these essays are provided in the course calendar. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me using the link to the right.

See you on Thursday!
AI Podcast
File Size: 12677 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File
Add Comment
 
 
Hi there,
After class I was reminded that in the exam guidelines I said that if you write on all of the essay questions for the exam next week, you will get 10 points extra credit. That is indeed the case. So, if you have all of the essay exam essays completed by the time class begins next Thursday, you will get ten points extra credit.

Next: You need to write on the following if you didn't write on either of the first two questions, and it is due by the beginning of our next class meeting, Thursday February 16th. Your answer should be at least 350 words in length. Here is the question:

What would Sartre say Albert’s problem is? What would Leopold say Brad’s problem is? Explain.

Also, in case you missed class or lose your copy of the essay questions for the next exam you can download them by clicking HERE.

Finally, let me take one more opportunity to remind you that you need to select your term paper film by our next class meeting. So far the following films are already taken:
Pan's Labrynth, Fight Club, Before Sunset, V is for Vendetta, Trekkies, The Dark Knight,                                                                          Donnie Darko, Eternal Sunshine, Paprika, Before Sunrise, Into the Wild, 12 Monkeys, Minority Report, The Truman Show, and Enlightenment Guaranteed
3 Comments
 
 
Hi again. Here is the fourth podcast for the course. In this podcast I will discuss both of the essays for this coming week, as well as introducing you to our next film, I Heart Huckabees. Before you listen, be sure to download the first reading, Jean Paul Sartre's "Existentialism is a Humanism", and read it along with our second reading, Aldo Leopold's "The Land Ethic". Links to both of these essays are provided in the course calendar. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me using the link to the right.

See you on Thursday!
Society Podcast
File Size: 20372 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File
Add Comment
 
 
You may choose to write on the following if you didn't write on last week's question, and if you choose to do so, it will be due by the beginning of our next class meeting, Thursday February 9th. Your answer should be at least 350 words in length. Here is the question:

What would Sontag have thought of our class discussion of Adaptation? Do you agree with what you think she would say about our discussion? Why or why not?
Add Comment